The2008 French Open was atennis tournament played onoutdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of theFrench Open, and the secondGrand Slam event of the year. It took place at theStade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 25 May until 8 June 2008.
Justine Henin did not defend her trophy due to her retirement from the sport on May 14.Ana Ivanovic, the runner-up to Henin in2007, won the Women's Singles. On the men's side,Rafael Nadal won the Men's Singles, and equalledBjörn Borg's record of four consecutive French Open titles in theOpen Era. Other competitions included men and women's doubles, junior singles and doubles as well as wheelchair and 'veteran' competitions.
The 2008 edition marked the first time in the Open Era no American man or woman reached the singles' quarterfinals at Roland Garros.
On May 14, 2008, less than two weeks before the start of the 2008 French Open, defending champion andworld No. 1Justine Henin, announced in a press conference her immediate retirement from the sport. Four-time winner inRoland-Garros, where she defeatedKim Clijsters in2003,Mary Pierce in2005,Svetlana Kuznetsova in2006 andAna Ivanovic in2007, Henin became the first player, at 25, to stop her career while holding the number one rank. Despite undergoing a poor run in the2008 season, Henin was still considered to be a strong favourite for theFrench Open crown. Her retirement leftSerena Williams, the2002 champion and the tournament favourite this year, as the only former French Open champion remaining in the women's draw, and allowedWTA world No. 2Maria Sharapova to be installed as the new world No. 1, and become the top seed for the tournament.[1][2] Henin's last match was againstDinara Safina, who went on to have a successful French Open, reaching the final, where she was beaten by Ana Ivanovic. Henin returned at the end of the women's tournament, and presented new championAna Ivanovic with the trophy.[3]
This tournament saw the worst performance by any of theWilliams sisters at a Grand Slam tournament since the2006 Australian Open.[4]
Serena Williams, the only former French Open champion left in the draw, was stunned in the third round byKatarina Srebotnik, ensuring that there would be a new champion this year.[5] Williams had never previously lost to Srebotnik in four previous attempts, and had defeated her in the second round of the2001 French Open and as recently as in the third round of the2008 Family Circle Cup, where she won the title as part of a seventeen-match winning streak compiled between February and May. Her third round exit was her worst performance at the tournament since 1999, when she also fell in the third round. TwoESPN experts had touted Serena Williams as the pre-tournament favourite; those same two experts also predicted thatAna Ivanovic, the2007 runner-up whom Serena Williams would have met in the quarter-finals, would make an early exit,[6][7] when, in fact, the exact opposite occurred and Ivanovic won the championship amidst a form slump which saw her suffer early defeats inMiami andRome.[8] Williams had said prior to the French Open that she had "enjoyed her best preparation since winning the event in 2002"; entering the tournament, she had won 23 matches and lost just two (toJelena Janković at theAustralian Open andDinara Safina inBerlin) for the season.
On the same day as Serena Williams' defeat, older sisterVenus Williams was upset by world No. 26Flavia Pennetta, who had never previously advanced past the fourth round of the French Open, in the third round,[9] adding to her recent history of early exits at the French Open. This marked the first time since the2004 French Open that both the Williams sisters were defeated within 24 hours of each other;[4] on that occasion, both were defeated in the quarter-finals byJennifer Capriati andAnastasia Myskina, who then went on to contest a semi-final between each other.[10]
The 2008 French Open saw the last appearance on theATP Tour offormer world No. 1Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten.[11] The 31-year-old Brazilian champion, had been awarded a wild card to play his final tournament inRoland-Garros, where he won his threeGrand Slam titles in1997,2000 and2001. Kuerten played his first round, and final singles match onCourt Philippe Chatrier against eighteenth-seededPaul-Henri Mathieu. Kuerten conceded the victory in straight sets after a little less than two hours on the court. A ceremony followed, where Kuerten was awarded a trophy encasing the multiple layers of the French Open's clay courts. Kuerten played his last match in the men's doubles withSébastien Grosjean. The pair was defeated after three sets byFlorin Mergea &Horia Tecău on the score of 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, ending the very final appearance of Gustavo Kuerten on the tour.
As each year since 1981, three trophies are awarded during the tournament to the players ofRoland-Garros: the Prix Orange (Orange Prize), awarded by the public to the player with the most sportsmanship, the Prix Citron (Lemon Prize), awarded by both the public and a journalists' association to the player with the strongest nature, and the Prix Bourgeon (Bud Prize), given by the journalists only to the most improved player of the year. In 2008, the Prix Orange was received, for the fourth year in a row, byRoger Federer, who came first of a tally with five choices, followed byRafael Nadal,Gustavo Kuerten,James Blake andCarlos Moyá. The Prix Citron was obtained byFabrice Santoro, who precededNovak Djokovic,Maria Sharapova,Serena Williams andJuan Carlos Ferrero in the votes. The Prix Bourgeon was given by the press toAlizé Cornet, ahead ofJanko Tipsarević andErnests Gulbis.Gustavo Kuerten, already the recipient of three Prix Orange in 1998, 2002, and 2004, was presented a special ten-year prize for fair-play, in honor of his career and his successes at theFrench Open.[12]
Below are the tables with the point distribution for each discipline of the tournament.
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Round of 64 | Round of 128 | Q | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Men's singles | 1000 | 700 | 450 | 250 | 150 | 75 | 35 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's doubles | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Women's singles | 140 | 90 | 60 | 2 | ||||||||
| Women's doubles | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
The Sunday start saw several seeds in the women's field go out, withNicole Vaidišová losing to compatriotIveta Benešová, andVirginie Razzano toKlára Zakopalová.Ana Ivanovic,Serena Williams,Alizé Cornet,Dominika Cibulková andCaroline Wozniacki all advanced to the second round.[13][14][15]
In the men's field, all eyes were turned to a clash betweenPaul-Henri Mathieu andformer No. 1,1997,2000 and2001 French Open championGustavo Kuerten, which saw the Frenchman winning 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, marking the closure of Kuerten's career. Third-seededNovak Djokovic came back from a one set deficit toDenis Gremelmayr to make it into the second round.James Blake,David Nalbandian andNicolás Almagro proceeded to the next round in straight sets, whileAndy Murray needed almost three hours to beat French wild cardJonathan Eysseric 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–2.1998 French Open winnerCarlos Moyá fell to qualifierEduardo Schwank andJanko Tipsarević lost toNicolás Lapentti.[13][14][16][17][18]
In the women's event,Jelena Janković,Karin Knapp,Ágnes Szávay andPatty Schnyder all advanced, along withVenus Williams, who lost a set againstTzipora Obziler before eventually winning the match 6–3, 4–6, 6–2. Twenty-third seedAlona Bondarenko was upset byPetra Cetkovská in straight sets.[19][20]
On the men's side, favoritesRoger Federer,Fernando González andFernando Verdasco all won, as well asTomáš Berdych, who crushed his opponentRobert Smeets 6–1, 6–0, 6–0, andTommy Robredo, who defeated2004 French Open runner-upGuillermo Coria in four sets.Marcos Baghdatis, who had been injured sinceIndian Wells lost toSimone Bolelli, and2007 French Open quarterfinalistGuillermo Cañas was also upset in straight sets and three tie-breaks byWayne Odesnik. The shock of the day came as French No. 1Richard Gasquet announced his withdrawal a few hours before his scheduled match to compatriotFlorent Serra, due to a knee injury. Rain interrupted the play during the afternoon, causing all matches to be stopped and rescheduled to the third day.[19][21][22][23]
Rain disturbed the play during the whole day, causing a late start, following whichSvetlana Kuznetsova andDinara Safina qualified for the second round. After a long interruption in the afternoon,Agnieszka Radwańska,Ai Sugiyama andAmélie Mauresmo had just enough time to advance to the next round.[24][25][26]
In the men's singles,Nikolay Davydenko andStanislas Wawrinka won in straight sets, whereasJuan Mónaco was upset byRobin Söderling, andMario Ančić defeatedAndreas Seppi. Another rain delay eventually forced the ongoing matches to be stopped and rescheduled to the fourth day.[24][27]
Seventy-four matches were programmed to compensate for the rain delays, allowingFrancesca Schiavone,Elena Dementieva,Flavia Pennetta,Katarina Srebotnik,Vera Zvonareva,Anna Chakvetadze,Nadia Petrova,Maria Kirilenko,Victoria Azarenka andAnabel Medina Garrigues to advance, along with world No. 1Maria Sharapova, who was pushed for two-and-a-half hours, but came back from being led 3–4, 15–40, in the final set by compatriotEvgeniya Rodina, only No. 103 in the rankings, to win the match 6–1, 3–6, 8–6. Ninth seedMarion Bartoli, who ledCasey Dellacqua when their match was stopped on day three, eventually lost, whileSybille Bammer fell toAleksandra Wozniak, andShahar Pe'er toSamantha Stosur.Agnieszka Radwańska,Caroline Wozniacki,Ana Ivanovic,Patty Schnyder andSerena Williams all proceeded to the third round.[28][29][30]
In the men's event,Radek Štěpánek,Lleyton Hewitt,David Ferrer,Jarkko Nieminen,Dmitry Tursunov,Ivan Ljubičić,Mikhail Youzhny andIgor Andreev advanced, as well as defending championRafael Nadal, who survived a first set scare to eventually overpower qualifierThomaz Bellucci 7–5, 6–3, 6–1. Meanwhile,2003 French Open championJuan Carlos Ferrero retired againstMarcos Daniel due to a leg injury, andAlejandro Falla defeatedIvo Karlović 3–6, 7–6(4), 7–6(6), 5–7, 6–4, after nearly four hours.Novak Djokovic,Nicolás Almagro andAndy Murray were among the first to qualify for the third round, alongsidePaul-Henri Mathieu, who rallied from two-sets-to-love to overcomeÓscar Hernández in four hours and eleven minutes on the score of 2–6, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2, and unseededMichaël Llodra, who upsetTomáš Berdych in three hours and five sets 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4.[28][31][32][33][34]
Rain again caused some delays and interruptions during the day, but it did not preventVenus Williams,Alizé Cornet,Jelena Janković,Elena Dementieva,Karin Knapp,Flavia Pennetta,Dominika Cibulková,Katarina Srebotnik,Dinara Safina,Francesca Schiavone,Victoria Azarenka,Ágnes Szávay,Anabel Medina Garrigues andSvetlana Kuznetsova from qualifying for the next round. In the meantime,Amélie Mauresmo lost toCarla Suárez Navarro,Ai Sugiyama was defeated byOlga Govortsova,Maria Kirilenko was beaten byZheng Jie, andAnna Chakvetadze became the highest seed to fall on day five, when she was upset byKaia Kanepi in straight sets.[35][36][37][38]
The men's field suffered several upsets as well, asJames Blake lost toErnests Gulbis,David Nalbandian was defeated by French wild cardJérémy Chardy, who climbed back from being two sets down to beat the Argentinian 3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2, in over three hours andIgor Andreev was upset by AmericanRobby Ginepri. World No. 1Roger Federer came back from losing the first set to dispatch his opponentAlbert Montañés 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–0, 6–4, and advance to the third round along withRafael Nadal,Mikhail Youzhny,Fernando González,Jarkko Nieminen,Dmitry Tursunov,Ivan Ljubičić,Stanislas Wawrinka,Fernando Verdasco,Nikolay Davydenko,David Ferrer,Lleyton Hewitt andTommy Robredo.[35][36][39][40][41]
The first matches of the doubles competition were played, with world No. 1 teamLiezel Huber &Cara Black,Mariya Koryttseva &Vladimíra Uhlířová, andPeng Shuai &Sun Tiantian to be among the first to advance to the second round of the women's doubles.[35][42]
On the men's side,Lukáš Dlouhý &Leander Paes,Jonas Björkman &Kevin Ullyett,Daniel Nestor &Nenad Zimonjić,Mariusz Fyrstenberg &Marcin Matkowski,Marcelo Melo &André Sá,Jonathan Erlich &Andy Ram, and No. 1 duoBob &Mike Bryan all proceeded to the next round, whiledefending championMark Knowles, who partneredMahesh Bhupathi this year, was defeated in straight sets byStephen Huss &Ross Hutchins, and2005 and2006 championMax Mirnyi, who teamed withJamie Murray, lost in three sets toRik de Voest &Robin Haase.[35][43]
On the women's side,Nadia Petrova,Maria Sharapova andVera Zvonareva all won their second round matches.Ana Ivanovic, victor ofCaroline Wozniacki,Agnieszka Radwańska, who beatAlizé Cornet, andPatty Schnyder all advanced to the fourth round. They were joined by twenty-seventh seedKatarina Srebotnik, who produced the first big upset of the day by eliminating2002 French Open champion, fifth seed and favoriteSerena Williams 6–4, 6–4, and twenty-sixth seedFlavia Pennetta, who defeated2002 French Open runner-up, eighth seed and other favoriteVenus Williams 7–5, 6–3, marking the first time sinceRoland-Garros 2004 both Williams sisters lost on the same day.[44][45][46][47][48][49] Serena Williams was the only remaining former champion left in the women's draw.[5]
In the men's draw,Novak Djokovic andPaul-Henri Mathieu advanced to the fourth round, along withRafael Nadal, who breezed byJarkko Nieminen,Nicolás Almagro, who overcameAndy Murray in almost three hours, on the score of 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–3, 7–5,Fernando Verdasco, who defeatedMikhail Youzhny 7–6(5), 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, and French wild cardJérémy Chardy, who continued his run in the tournament by upsettingDmitry Tursunov.[44][50][51][52]
In the women's doubles field, favoritesYung-jan Chan &Chia-jung Chuang,Nathalie Dechy &Elena Likhovtseva,Tatiana Poutchek &Anastasia Rodionova,Zi Yan &Zheng Jie,Dinara Safina &Ágnes Szávay,Victoria Azarenka &Shahar Pe'er,Lisa Raymond &Samantha Stosur,Květa Peschke &Rennae Stubbs andKatarina Srebotnik &Ai Sugiyama all proceeded to the second round, whereasdefending championsAlicia Molik &Mara Santangelo were upset in their first match by unseededSara Errani &Bethanie Mattek.[42][44]
Christopher Kas &Rogier Wassen,Jeff Coetzee &Wesley Moodie, andSimon Aspelin &Julian Knowle were among the teams advancing to the second round on the men's side, asLukáš Dlouhý &Leander Paes won their second round match.Martin Damm &Pavel Vízner were defeated in straight sets byLukas Arnold Ker &Juan Ignacio Chela, asArnaud Clément &Michaël Llodra, who lost toPablo Cuevas &Luis Horna, whileMariusz Fyrstenberg &Marcin Matkowski lost their second round encounter toMichal Mertiňák &Jean-Claude Scherrer.[44][53]
Victoria Azarenka,Svetlana Kuznetsova andJelena Janković qualified for the fourth round alongsideDinara Safina,Elena Dementieva andVera Zvonareva, at the expense ofFrancesca Schiavone,Nadia Petrova andDominika Cibulková. WTA No. 1Maria Sharapova was again pushed in the first set byKarin Knapp, before crushing her opponent in the second, to win 7–6(4), 6–0. World No. 49Kaia Kanepi, victor of Chakvetadze on day five, pursued her run in the tournament by upsettingAnabel Medina Garrigues in three sets 6–1, 6–7(5), 7–5, andÁgnes Szávay was defeated by unseededPetra Kvitová in three sets in the last match of the day.[54][55][56]
In the men's field, twenty-first seedRadek Štěpánek dispatchedTommy Robredo in straight sets 6–3, 6–2, 6–1, andRoger Federer advanced pastMario Ančić in little more than an hour and a half, whereas his compatriot and ninth seedStanislas Wawrinka, who led two-sets-to-love and 3–0 in the third, saw his adversary, ChileanFernando González make a comeback to eventually win the match 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, in just over three hours. Meanwhile,Lleyton Hewitt andDavid Ferrer battled through five sets, breaking each other repeatedly, until the Spaniard gained the final advantage, breaking the Australian at 4–4 in the fifth set, which allowed him to win 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. Former Top Ten memberIvan Ljubičić produced the biggest upset of the men's field thus far, coming back from a two sets deficit to defeat world No. 4,2007 French Open semifinalistNikolay Davydenko 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4, and obtain his first fourth round spot in aGrand Slam event since the2006 French Open.[54][57][58]
In the doubles,Alona &Kateryna Bondarenko, andAnabel Medina Garrigues &Virginia Ruano Pascual won their first round matches, whileLisa Raymond &Samantha Stosur,Mariya Koryttseva &Vladimíra Uhlířová,Yung-jan Chan &Chia-jung Chuang,Cara Black &Liezel Huber,Peng Shuai &Sun Tiantian,Victoria Azarenka &Shahar Pe'er,Zi Yan &Zheng Jie advanced to the third round.Nathalie Dechy &Elena Likhovtseva were defeated by unseeded teamSorana Cîrstea &Aravane Rezaï, second-seededKatarina Srebotnik &Ai Sugiyama lost toAshley Harkleroad &Galina Voskoboeva, andIveta Benešová &Janette Husárová were beaten byNatalie Grandin &Raquel Kops-Jones.[54][59]
World No. 1 doubles duo and2003 French Open championsBob &Mike Bryan cruised to the third round of the men's draw, along withDaniel Nestor &Nenad Zimonjić,Jonathan Erlich &Andy Ram, andSimon Aspelin &Julian Knowle.František Čermák &Jordan Kerr won one of the last first round encounters. FavoritesJeff Coetzee &Wesley Moodie were upset in straight sets by Serbian pairJanko Tipsarević &Victor Troicki, Brazilian teamMarcelo Melo &André Sá lost toRajeev Ram &Bobby Reynolds, and fifteen-seededChristopher Kas &Rogier Wassen retired against tall opponentsJohn Isner &Sam Querrey.[54][60]
Finally, in the mixed doubles competition, No. 1 seedsKatarina Srebotnik &Nenad Zimonjić breezed by their opponents to advance to the second round along withKvěta Peschke &Pavel Vízner andCara Black &Paul Hanley. Eighth seedsAlicia Molik &Jonas Björkman were eliminated byJanette Husárová &André Sá, fourth-seeded pairChia-jung Chuang &Jonathan Erlich lost toOlga Govortsova &Daniel Martin, and seventh seedsLisa Raymond &Simon Aspelin toKateryna Bondarenko &Jordan Kerr. Unseededdefending championsNathalie Dechy &Andy Ram were upset, in the last mixed doubles match of the day, byDominika Cibulková &Gaël Monfils.[54]
WTA No. 2 and2007 Roland-Garros runner-upAna Ivanovic left no hopes to opponentPetra Cetkovská as the Serbdouble-bageled her way into the quarterfinals in less than an hour.Jelena Janković faced more difficulties as she had to battle during more than two hours against fourteenth-seededAgnieszka Radwańska to win only 6–3, 7–6(3), and secure a quarterfinal spot, along withPatty Schnyder, who defeatedKatarina Srebotnik. Meanwhile, twenty-sixth seedFlavia Pennetta lost in straight sets to nineteen-year-old Spanish qualifierCarla Suárez Navarro, in her first everGrand Slam appearance.[61][62]
In the men's draw, nineteen-year-old Latvian, unseededErnests Gulbis was the first player to qualify for the round of eight, by defeatingMichaël Llodra in straight sets. He was followed byNovak Djokovic, who defeatedPaul-Henri Mathieu 6–4, 6–3, 6–4, to reach his third consecutive quarterfinal inRoland-Garros,Nicolás Almagro, whose opponent, the French wild cardJérémy Chardy held set points in all three sets, but eventually lost on the score of 7–6(0), 7–6(7), 7–5, andATP No. 2 anddefending championRafael Nadal, who crushed compatriot and twenty-second seedFernando Verdasco 6–1, 6–0, 6–2, in little less than two hours.[61][63][64]
In the women's doubles,Tatiana Poutchek &Anastasia Rodionova were upset in three sets byCasey Dellacqua &Francesca Schiavone in their second round match, whileAnabel Medina Garrigues &Virginia Ruano Pascual,Alona &Kateryna Bondarenko,Květa Peschke &Rennae Stubbs, andDinara Safina &Ágnes Szávay won theirs. In the third round encounters, sixth seedsVictoria Azarenka &Shahar Pe'er defeated Chinese teamPeng Shuai &Sun Tiantian after three sets,Cara Black &Liezel Huber beatMariya Koryttseva &Vladimíra Uhlířová, and unseeded pairNuria Llagostera Vives &María José Martínez Sánchez upsetLisa Raymond &Samantha Stosur. UnseededAshley Harkleroad &Galina Voskoboeva were the fourth team of the day to advance to the quarterfinals.[61][65]
On the men's side,Bob &Mike Bryan, andDaniel Nestor &Nenad Zimonjić qualified without problems for the quarterfinals, alongsideJonas Björkman &Kevin Ullyett, whereas ninth seedsLukáš Dlouhý &Leander Paes were eliminated by South American duoPablo Cuevas &Luis Horna, andAustralian Open championsJonathan Erlich &Andy Ram lost toBruno Soares &Dušan Vemić. Unseeded BelgiansSteve Darcis &Olivier Rochus also secured a quarterfinal spot. Meanwhile, thirteenth-seededFrantišek Čermák &Jordan Kerr were knocked out of the second round byIgor Kunitsyn &Dmitry Tursunov.[61][66]
In the mixed doubles,Zi Yan &Mark Knowles, andVictoria Azarenka &Bob Bryan advanced past the first round. Second-seededKvěta Peschke &Pavel Vízner proceeded to the quarterfinals, alongside unseeded teamsJanette Husárová &André Sá,Kateryna Bondarenko &Jordan Kerr, and wild cardsVirginie Razzano &Rogier Wassen. Despite their second round win in the morning,Zi Yan &Mark Knowles decided to withdraw from the mixed competition, allowingLiezel Huber &Jamie Murray to secure a quarterfinal spot.[61]
In the women's draw,Elena Dementieva came back from the loss of the second set to defeat compatriotVera Zvonareva 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, and reach her first quarterfinal spot in aGrand Slam since 2006.Berlin Tier I titlist, and thirteenth seedDinara Safina saved one match point at 3–5 in the second set and overcame a 2–5 deficit in the second set tie-break, before climbing back to upset world No. 1Maria Sharapova on the score of 6–7(6), 7–6(5), 6–2, and set up a rematch of the Berlin final against Dementieva.[67][68]
After a difficult first set,Fernando González cruised to the quarterfinals beatingRobby Ginepri 7–5, 6–3, 6–1, in less than two hours. World No. 1Roger Federer struggled during almost three hours, but eventually defeated unseeded FrenchmanJulien Benneteau, by breaking in the last game of every set to win the match 6–4, 7–5, 7–5. Twenty-one-year-old, ATP No. 59Gaël Monfils was the only French player out of the five present in the round of sixteen to advance, as he upset his opponentIvan Ljubičić on the score of 7–6(1), 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, to reach his first quarterfinal in aGrand Slam event.David Ferrer's 4–6, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, 6–3 win overRadek Štěpánek allowed him to become the last man qualified for the singles' quarterfinals.[67][69][70]
Unseeded Russian pairIgor Kunitsyn &Dmitry Tursunov advanced, and were shortly followed by the unseeded team,Janko Tipsarević &Victor Troicki, who upset fifth seedsSimon Aspelin &Julian Knowle in three close sets, to complete the men's doubles' quarterfinals' line-up. Unseeded South American teamPablo Cuevas &Luis Horna produced the biggest upset of the men's draw in the first quarterfinal match, by knocking out of the tournament world No. 1 duoBob &Mike Bryan 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(1). In the second quarterfinal of the day,Bruno Soares &Dušan Vemić upset eight seedsJonas Björkman &Kevin Ullyett, to advance to the semis.[67][71]
On the women's side,Yung-jan Chan &Chia-jung Chuang proceeded to the quarterfinals, alongsideAnabel Medina Garrigues &Virginia Ruano Pascual who beatZi Yan &Zheng Jie, unseededCasey Dellacqua &Francesca Schiavone, who upset third seedsKvěta Peschke &Rennae Stubbs, andAlona &Kateryna Bondarenko, who defeated ninth-seededDinara Safina &Ágnes Szávay.[67][72]
Mixed doubles sixth seedsCara Black &Paul Hanley were defeated byZheng Jie &Mahesh Bhupathi in their second round encounter.[67]
In the women's singles, WTA No. 49, twenty-two-year-old EstonianKaia Kanepi defeated unseededPetra Kvitová 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, to advance to the quarterfinals, her best result thus far in aGrand Slam tournament. World No. 4Svetlana Kuznetsova matched her2007 Roland-Garros performance by advancing to the quarterfinals, easily defeating sixteenth-seededVictoria Azarenka (who had shown some good form in winning her first three matches for the loss of only six games) 6–2, 6–3. The first quarterfinal saw the highest seed remaining,Ana Ivanovic, beat tenth seedPatty Schnyder 6–3, 6–2, to reach her second consecutive semifinal at theFrench Open. She was joined in the afternoon by another2007 French Open semifinalist, world No. 3 and Serbian No. 2Jelena Janković, who dispatched nineteen-year-old Spanish qualifierCarla Suárez Navarro 6–3, 6–2, in little more than an hour.[73][74][75]
After three hours of play, ATP No. 3Novak Djokovic came out the winner of a close three-setter against nineteen-year-old unseeded LatvianErnests Gulbis, on the score of 7–5, 7–6(3), 7–5, to reach his fifth consecutiveGrand Slam semifinal. On thePhilippe Chatrier central court,defending championRafael Nadal crushed compatriotNicolás Almagro 6–1, 6–1, 6–1, in less than two hours, to set up a rematch of theHamburg Masters' semifinal, and oflast year's French Open semifinal, both against Djokovic.[73][76][77]
No. 1 seedsCara Black &Liezel Huber defeated all-Spanish teamNuria Llagostera Vives &María José Martínez Sánchez in straight sets, in the first quarterfinal encounter of the women's doubles. On the other side of the draw,Australian Open championsAlona &Kateryna Bondarenko also advanced, beating unseeded pairAshley Harkleroad &Galina Voskoboeva. UnseededCasey Dellacqua &Francesca Schiavone were the third duo to qualify for the semifinals, upsetting sixth seedsVictoria Azarenka &Shahar Pe'er, and were followed byAnabel Medina Garrigues &Virginia Ruano Pascual, who defeated fourth seedsYung-jan Chan &Chia-jung Chuang after three close sets and more than three hours of play.[73][78]
Daniel Nestor &Nenad Zimonjić, the only seeded players remaining in the men's doubles draw, advanced to the semifinals past BelgiansSteve Darcis &Olivier Rochus in straight sets, whileIgor Kunitsyn &Dmitry Tursunov continued their run in the tournament and completed the semifinal line-up, by defeatingJanko Tipsarević &Victor Troicki.[73][79]
In the first quarterfinal matches of the mixed doubles, unseeded teamZheng Jie &Mahesh Bhupathi defeated wild cardsVirginie Razzano &Rogier Wassen, and second seedsKvěta Peschke &Pavel Vízner overcameJanette Husárová &André Sá. Meanwhile, first-seededKatarina Srebotnik &Nenad Zimonjić won their second round match.[73]
(Pictures,Quotes, from Day 10)
The third quarter of the women's draw was a rematch of the2001 French Open girls' singles final, but the unseeded twenty-two-year-old EstonianKaia Kanepi, victor in 2001, was defeated this time by her opponentSvetlana Kuznetsova, now the WTA No. 4, in little less than an-hour and a half, on the score of 7–5, 6–2, allowing the Russian to reach her fourthGrand Slam semifinal, and her second at theFrench Open, after an appearance in2006.Dinara Safina repeated her drama-filled performance of the fourth round as she saved one match point againstElena Dementieva at 3–5 in the second set, before climbing back and crushing her adversary in the final set to claim a 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0 victory, secure her firstGrand Slam semifinal spot, and set an all-Russian clash against Kuznetsova.[80][81]
Fernando González made a powerful start at the beginning of his quarterfinal againstRoger Federer, winning the first set 6–2 in only twenty-four minutes, before the world No. 1 took back the control of the match and easily won the following sets, to end the encounter on the score of 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, and advance to his sixteenth consecutiveGrand Slam semifinal, his fourth inRoland-Garros. In the last quarterfinal of the men's singles, ATP No. 59, twenty-one-year-oldGaël Monfils, winner of the Juniors competition at the2004 French Open, became the first French player to go past the round of eight inRoland-Garros since2001, as he upset fifth seedDavid Ferrer 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, to set a semifinal against Federer, already the third encounter between the two players in 2008.[82][83]
Unseeded teamCasey Dellacqua &Francesca Schiavone proceeded to their firstGrand Slam final by defeatingAustralian Open championsAlona &Kateryna Bondarenko 6–2, 6–1. In the second semifinal of the women's doubles, world No. 1Cara Black &Liezel Huber were upset in straight sets 6–4, 7–6(2), byAnabel Medina Garrigues, who advanced to her firstGrand Slam final, &Virginia Ruano Pascual, who reached her fifteenthGrand Slam final, and her seventh at theFrench Open.[84]
In the mixed competition, third seedsVictoria Azarenka &Bob Bryan were the last players to qualify for the quarterfinals, by beatingVladimíra Uhlířová &Mariusz Fyrstenberg, while first seedsKatarina Srebotnik &Nenad Zimonjić defeated unseededKateryna Bondarenko &Jordan Kerr to be the third team to advance to the semifinals.Victoria Azarenka &Bob Bryan played a second match at the end of the day, and proceeded past unseededLiezel Huber &Jamie Murray to complete the semifinals line-up.
(Pictures,Quotes, from Day 11)
On "Ladies Days",Berlin champion, WTA No. 14Dinara Safina advanced to her first everGrand Slam final, dominating world No. 4 and2006 French Open runner-upSvetlana Kuznetsova during nearly an-hour and a half, to eventually claim victory on the score of 6–3, 6–2. Kuznetsova's loss, following Sharapova's fourth round exit, meant that the second semifinal betweenAustralian Open finalist andIndian Wells Tier I titlistAna Ivanovic andRome winnerJelena Janković was bound to decide who would be the next world No. 1. Janković took the first advantage in the match, leading 4–2 when Ivanovic made a comeback and snatched the first set, extending her dominance to the midst of the second, when she saw her adversary win seven games in a row, even the score to one-set-all, and take the early advantage in the final set. Ivanovic broke back once to 3–3 but lost her serve, before breaking again to even the score at 4–4, win her serve, and take Janković's to finally win, after over two hours of play, on the score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, advance to her thirdGrand Slam final, her second consecutive inRoland-Garros, and be assured to become the new world No. 1 on June 9, 2008.[85][86]
The first semifinal of the men's doubles, that opposed unseeded UruguyanPablo Cuevas & PeruvianLuis Horna to alternates BrazilianBruno Soares & SerbianDušan Vemić, lasted almost three hours and extended to a third set tie-break, until Cuevas & Horna took a final advantage, to score a 6–4, 6–7(6), 7–6(6) victory, and advance to their firstGrand Slam final. After losing the first set to unseeded Russian pairIgor Kunitsyn &Dmitry Tursunov, second seededDaniel Nestor, the defending champion, & new partnerNenad Zimonjić battled to take back the advantage, ultimately winning the match, and reach their firstGrand Slam final together on the score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.[87]
In the mixed category,Zheng Jie &Mahesh Bhupathi withdrew, consequently offering a final spot to their opponentsKatarina Srebotnik &Nenad Zimonjić, who reached their third consecutiveFrench Open final together, having previously won in2006, and lost in2007. The second semifinal was played in the afternoon, and sawVictoria Azarenka &Bob Bryan defeat Czech teamKvěta Peschke &Pavel Vízner 4–6, 6–3, 10–8, to advance to their firstGrand Slam mixed doubles final together.
(Pictures,Quotes, from Day 12)
The first men's singles semifinal, which opposed world No. 2 anddefending championRafael Nadal to world No. 3 andAustralian Open championNovak Djokovic, saw the Spaniard dominating his opponent throughout two-and-a-half sets, until Djokovic made a comeback, breaking Nadal several times to extend the match to a third set tie-break. Nadal won six consecutive points in the tie-break, to finally win the encounter at his fourth match point on the score of 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(3), to advance to his fourth consecutiveFrench Open final. World No. 1Roger Federer made a strong start in the second semifinal that opposed him to ATP No. 59Gaël Monfils, winning the first set in thirty minutes and breaking early in the second, before Monfils fought back, and broke the Swiss to snatch the second set. Federer cruised again in the third, before the match evened in the fourth, each player saving break points, until Federer took the Frenchman's serve at 6–5, to win on the final score of 6–2, 5–7, 6–3, 7–5, after three hours of play, and advance to his sixteenthGrand Slam final, his third consecutive one inRoland-Garros, a third time against Nadal.[88][89]
Tenth-seeded, all Spanish-teamAnabel Medina Garrigues &Virginia Ruano Pascual competed with unseeded AustralianCasey Dellacqua & ItalianFrancesca Schiavone for the women's doubles title. Dellacqua & Schiavone commanded the game in the first set, winning 6–2 in nearly forty minutes, before their adversaries broke to 6–5 in the second, and won their serve to come back to one-set-all. Garrigues & Ruano Pascual broke in the first game of the third set, kept their advantage up to 4–3, when Dellacqua & Schiavone broke back to 4–all. Garrigues & Ruano Pascual managed to immediately take their opponents' serve again and keep theirs to win the match 2–6, 7–5, 6–4, after two-hours-and-a-half. In becoming the2008 French Open women's doubles champions,Anabel Medina Garrigues won her first everGrand Slam doubles title, &Virginia Ruano Pascual, a fifteen-timeGrand Slam doubles finalist, holder of eight titles, won her fifth victory at theFrench Open.[90]
The final of the mixed doubles took place between first seeds SloveneKatarina Srebotnik & SerbianNenad Zimonjić, and third seedsVictoria Azarenka, from Belarus &Bob Bryan, from the USA. After easily winning the first set 6–2 in only twenty-two minutes, Azarenka & Bryan saw their adversaries even the competition, as Srebotnik & Zimonjic held their serve to a second set tie-break, in which they even took the early advantage, leading 4–3. Azarenka & Bryan were able to break back, and win four points in a row to eventually claim victory on the score of 6–2, 7–6(5), in little more than an hour.Victoria Azarenka, already the2007 US Open mixed doubles champion, and the2007 Australian Open mixed doubles runner-up, &Bob Bryan, finalist of the mixed doubles competition inWimbledon 2006, and winner at theUS Open in2003,2004, and2006, won their firstGrand Slam title together, becoming the newRoland-Garros mixed doubles champions.[91]
(Pictures from Day 13)
The women's singles final was played by then WTA No. 2Ana Ivanovic, the2007 French Open and2008 Australian Open runner-up, assured to become world No. 1 on June 9, 2008, regardless of the result, and thirteenth seedDinara Safina, theBerlin Tier I titlist, in her first everGrand Slam final appearance. Ivanovic made the strongest start in the match, taking Safina's serve in the opening game, and once more at 3–1, to open a 4–1 lead in the first set. Safina started to take back the advantage, as she broke the Serbian twice and won her own serve to come back at 4–4. Ivanovic immediately recovered her break, and eventually kept her serve at 5–4, to close the first set on the score of 6–4. Ivanovic broke the Russian for a 2–1 lead in the second set, and continued to dominate Safina up to the seventh game, where she held double-break balls at 4–2. Af the end of this long game, in which both players repeatedly took and lost the advantage, Safina ultimately kept her serve, but the Russian was unable to attack Ivanovic in the following game, and found herself serving to stay in the match at 3–5. The Serbian pressured Safina, and eventually broke her a final time, to win the match on the score of 6–4, 6–3, after ninety-eight minutes of play. Both players received their trophies from the hands of former world No. 1 and2003,2005,2006, and2007 French Open championJustine Henin in the awards ceremony that followed, which crowned Ivanovic, a first-timeGrand Slam winner, as the newRoland-Garros women's singles champion.[92][93] Ivanovic became the first Serbian winner of a Grand Slam women's singles title, and the second Serbian overall afterNovak Djokovic's win at the2008 Australian Open. It would be the last time that Ana Ivanovic would feature past the Round of 16 at any Grand Slam tournament until the2012 US Open.[94]
The men's doubles final featured second seeds CanadianDaniel Nestor, a nine-timeGrand Slam doubles finalist, winner of the2007 French Open withMark Knowles, & SerbianNenad Zimonjić, a two-time doubles final runner-up inWimbledon, and unseeded South American duo, composed of UruguayanPablo Cuevas, No. 50 in the doubles rankings, & PeruvianLuis Horna, No. 43 in the doubles rankings, on their first everGrand Slam final appearance separately and together. The unseeded South Americans completely dominated the seasoned champions during the final, breaking them twice in each set, never losing their serve themselves, to crush Nestor & Zimonjic in only fifty-six minutes, on the score of 6–2, 6–3, and win their first doubles title together.Pablo Cuevas &Luis Horna knocked out four seeded teams,Arnaud Clément &Michaël Llodra,Lukáš Dlouhý &Leander Paes, world No. 1 pairBob &Mike Bryan, and ultimatelyDaniel Nestor &Nenad Zimonjić on their way to becoming the first South American team to win a Men's DoublesGrand Slam title, and the2008 French Open men's doubles champions.[95]
(Pictures from Day 14)
The men's singles final took place at 15:00 (UTC+2) on thePhilippe Chatrier Central Court, and featured, for the third straight year after2006 and2007, the world No. 1 and holder of twelveGrand Slam titles,Roger Federer, and ATP No. 2Rafael Nadal, the winner inRoland-Garros since2005. Federer decided to serve after being given the choice, but the Spaniard immediately attacked the Swiss' serve, and broke him, winning his own service game to quickly open a 2–0 lead. Though Federer won his following serve, he was not able in the rest of the set to convert the few break points he had on Nadal's serve, or win his own service games, allowing the Spaniard to close the first set in thirty-two minutes, on the score of 6–1. Despite being broken in the beginning of the second set, Federer started to fight back, as he finally took Nadal's serve, came back to 2–2, and held to 3–3. After a long game on Federer's serve, Nadal finally broke once more, and rapidly finished the set on the score of 6–3, after forty-nine minutes. There was no competition in what would become the final set as Nadal left no chances to Federer, and the Swiss was not able to find a second breath to start a comeback, not winning any game in the twenty-seven minutes set, and suffering abagel for the first time in aGrand Slam since a1999 Roland-Garros first round loss toPat Rafter.[96] Particularly relevant to the outcome of their meeting were Federer's thirty-five unforced errors to Nadal's seven during the brief match which never allowed him to gain a foothold.Rafael Nadal claimed his fourth consecutiveFrench Open crown, on the final score of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0, and in becoming the2008 French Open champion equalledBjörn Borg's record of four straightRoland-Garros titles, and extended his win–loss record at the tournament to 28–0.[97][98]
(Pictures from Day 15)
The following are the seeded players and notable players who withdrew from the event. Seedings are based on ATP and WTA rankings as of 19 May 2008. Rankings and points are as of before 26 May 2008.
| Seed | Rank | Player | Points before | Points defending | Points won | Points after | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |  Roger Federer | 6,675 | 700 | 700 | 6,675 | Runner-up, lost to Rafael Nadal [2] |
| 2 | 2 | Rafael Nadal | 5,585 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 5,585 | Champion, defeatedRoger Federer [1] |
| 3 | 3 |  Novak Djokovic | 5,225 | 450 | 450 | 5,225 | Semifinals lost toRafael Nadal [2] |
| 4 | 4 |  Nikolay Davydenko | 3,425 | 450 | 75 | 3,050 | Third round lost to Ivan Ljubičić [28] |
| 5 | 5 | David Ferrer | 2,730 | 75 | 250 | 2,905 | Quarterfinals lost to Gaël Monfils |
| 6 | 7 |  David Nalbandian | 2,115 | 150 | 35 | 2,000 | Second round lost toJérémy Chardy [WC] |
| 7 | 8 |  James Blake | 1,985 | 5 | 35 | 2,015 | Second round lost to Ernests Gulbis |
| Richard Gasquet | 1,630 | 35 | 0 | 1,595 | Withdrew due to knee injury | ||
| 9 | 10 | Stan Wawrinka | 1,575 | 35 | 75 | 1,615 | Third round lost to Fernando González [24] |
| 10 | 12 |  Andy Murray | 1,480 | 0 | 75 | 1,555 | Third round lost toNicolás Almagro [19] |
| 11 | 13 |  Tomáš Berdych | 1,460 | 5 | 35 | 1,490 | Second round lost toMichaël Llodra |
| 12 | 14 | Tommy Robredo | 1,430 | 250 | 75 | 1,255 | Third round lost toRadek Štěpánek [21] |
| 13 | 16 | Juan Mónaco | 1,375 | 150 | 5 | 1,230 | First round lost to Robin Söderling |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 1,495 | (55)† | 0 | 1,440 | Withdrew due to knee injury | ||
| 15 | 15 | Mikhail Youzhny | 1,410 | 150 | 75 | 1,335 | Third round lost toFernando Verdasco [22] |
| 16 | 17 | Carlos Moyá | 1,340 | 250 | 5 | 1,095 | First round lost toEduardo Schwank [Q] |
| 17 | 18 |  Marcos Baghdatis | 1,335 | 150 | 5 | 1,190 | First round lost to Simone Bolelli |
| 18 | 19 | Paul-Henri Mathieu | 1,275 | 75 | 150 | 1,425 | Fourth round lost toNovak Djokovic [3] |
| 19 | 20 | Nicolás Almagro | 1,270 | 35 | 250 | 1,485 | Quarterfinals lost toRafael Nadal [2] |
| 20 | 21 | Ivo Karlović | 1,250 | 35 | 5 | 1,220 | First round lost to Alejandro Falla |
| 21 | 22 | Radek Štěpánek | 1,245 | 35 | 150 | 1,360 | Fourth round lost toDavid Ferrer [5] |
| 22 | 23 | Fernando Verdasco | 1,240 | 150 | 150 | 1,240 | Fourth round lost toRafael Nadal [2] |
| 23 | 24 | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 1,205 | 75 | 5 | 1,135 | First round retired against Marcos Daniel |
| 24 | 25 | Fernando González | 1,160 | 5 | 250 | 1,415 | Quarterfinals lost toRoger Federer [1] |
| 25 | 28 |  Lleyton Hewitt | 1,085 | 150 | 75 | 1,010 | Third round lost toDavid Ferrer [5] |
| 26 | 26 |  Jarkko Nieminen | 1,130 | 75 | 75 | 1,130 | Third round lost toRafael Nadal [2] |
| 27 | 27 | Igor Andreev | 1,125 | 250 | 35 | 910 | Second round lost toRobby Ginepri |
| 28 | 30 | Ivan Ljubičić | 1,005 | 75 | 150 | 1,080 | Fourth round lost toGaël Monfils |
| 29 | 31 | Guillermo Cañas | 1,000 | 250 | 5 | 755 | First round lost toWayne Odesnik [WC] |
| 30 | 33 | Dmitry Tursunov | 980 | 35 | 75 | 1,020 | Third round lost toJérémy Chardy [WC] |
| 31 | 32 | Andreas Seppi | 998 | 5 | 5 | 998 | First round lost toMario Ančić |
| 32 | 34 | Janko Tipsarević | 958 | 75 | 5 | 928 | First round lost to Nicolás Lapentti |
† The player did not qualify for the tournament in 2007. Accordingly, points for his 18th best result are deducted instead.
The following player would have been seeded, but he withdrew from the event.
| Rank | Player | Points before | Points defending | Points after | Withdrawal reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Andy Roddick | 2,410 | 5 | 2,405 | Shoulder injury |
| Seed | Rank | Player | Points before | Points defending | Points won | Points after | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Maria Sharapova | 4,116 | 450 | 140 | 3,806 | Fourth round lost toDinara Safina [13] |
| 2 | 2 | Ana Ivanovic | 3,922 | 700 | 1,000 | 4,222 | Champion, defeatedDinara Safina [13] |
| 3 | 3 | Jelena Janković | 3,755 | 450 | 450 | 3,755 | Semifinals lost toAna Ivanovic [2] |
| 4 | 4 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 3,365 | 250 | 450 | 3,565 | Semifinals lost toDinara Safina [13] |
| 5 | 5 | Serena Williams | 2,836 | 250 | 90 | 2,676 | Third round lost to Katarina Srebotnik [27] |
| 6 | 6 | Anna Chakvetadze | 2,731 | 250 | 60 | 2,541 | Second round lost toNuria Llagostera Vives |
| 7 | 8 | Elena Dementieva | 2,590 | 90 | 250 | 2,750 | Quarterfinals lost toDinara Safina [13] |
| 8 | 7 | Venus Williams | 2,606 | 90 | 90 | 2,606 | Third round lost toFlavia Pennetta [26] |
| 9 | 9 | Marion Bartoli | 2,173 | 140 | 2 | 2,035 | First round lost toCasey Dellacqua |
| 10 | 11 | Patty Schnyder | 1,830 | 140 | 250 | 1,940 | Quarterfinals lost toAna Ivanovic [2] |
| 11 | 12 | Vera Zvonareva | 1,772 | 0 | 140 | 1,912 | Fourth round lost toElena Dementieva [7] |
| 12 | 13 |  Ágnes Szávay | 1,682 | 91 | 90 | 1,681 | Third round lost toPetra Kvitová |
| 13 | 14 | Dinara Safina | 1,662 | 140 | 700 | 2,222 | Runner-up, lost toAna Ivanovic [2] |
| 14 | 15 |  Agnieszka Radwańska | 1,638 | 2 | 140 | 1,780 | Fourth round lost toJelena Janković [3] |
| 15 | 16 | Nicole Vaidišová | 1,435 | 250 | 2 | 1,187 | First round lost toIveta Benešová [Q] |
| 16 | 17 |  Victoria Azarenka | 1,248 | 2 | 140 | 1,390 | Fourth round lost toSvetlana Kuznetsova [4] |
| 17 | 18 |  Shahar Pe'er | 1,215 | 140 | 2 | 1,077 | First round lost toSamantha Stosur [WC] |
| 18 | 19 | Francesca Schiavone | 1,201 | 90 | 90 | 1,201 | Third round lost toVictoria Azarenka [16] |
| 19 | 20 | Alizé Cornet | 1,160 | 2 | 90 | 1,248 | Third round lost toAgnieszka Radwańska [14] |
| 20 | 22 |  Sybille Bammer | 1,150 | 140 | 2 | 1,012 | First round lost to Aleksandra Wozniak |
| 21 | 23 | Maria Kirilenko | 1,123 | 60 | 60 | 1,123 | Second round lost to Zheng Jie [Q] |
| 22 | 29 | Amélie Mauresmo | 1,017 | 90 | 60 | 987 | Second round lost toCarla Suárez Navarro [Q] |
| 23 | 27 |  Alona Bondarenko | 1,046 | 60 | 2 | 988 | First round lost toPetra Cetkovská |
| 24 | 28 | Virginie Razzano | 1,030 | 2 | 2 | 1,030 | First round lost toKlára Zakopalová |
| 25 | 25 | Nadia Petrova | 1,058 | 2 | 90 | 1,156 | Third round lost toSvetlana Kuznetsova [4] |
| 26 | 30 | Flavia Pennetta | 999 | 2 | 140 | 1,137 | Fourth round lost toCarla Suárez Navarro [Q] |
| 27 | 24 | Katarina Srebotnik | 1,060 | 90 | 140 | 1,110 | Fourth round lost toPatty Schnyder [10] |
| 28 | 31 |  Dominika Cibulková | 933 | 121 | 90 | 902 | Fourth round lost toJelena Janković [3] |
| 29 | 33 | Anabel Medina Garrigues | 848 | 140 | 90 | 798 | Third round lost to Kaia Kanepi |
| 30 | 34 |  Caroline Wozniacki | 775 | 2 | 90 | 863 | Third round lost toAna Ivanovic [2] |
| 31 | 35 |  Ai Sugiyama | 752 | 90 | 60 | 722 | Second round lost toOlga Govortsova |
| 32 | 38 | Karin Knapp | 695 | 90 | 90 | 695 | Third round lost toMaria Sharapova [1] |
The following players would have been seeded, but they withdrew or not entered from the event.
| Rank | Player | Points before | Points defending | Points after | Withdrawal reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Daniela Hantuchová | 2,122 | 90 | 2,032 | Heel injury |
| 21 | Tatiana Golovin | 1,160 | 0 | 1,160 | Back injury |
| 26 | Lindsay Davenport | 1,055 | 0 | 1,055 | Scheduling |
| 32 |  Sania Mirza | 917 | 60 | 857 | Wrist injury |
Rafael Nadal defeatedRoger Federer, 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
Ana Ivanovic defeatedDinara Safina, 6–4, 6–3
Pablo Cuevas /
Luis Horna defeatedDaniel Nestor /Nenad Zimonjić, 6–2, 6–3
Anabel Medina Garrigues /Virginia Ruano Pascual defeatedCasey Dellacqua /Francesca Schiavone, 2–6, 7–5, 6–4
Victoria Azarenka /Bob Bryan defeatedKatarina Srebotnik /Nenad Zimonjić, 6–2, 7–6(7–4)
Yang Tsung-hua defeatedJerzy Janowicz, 6–3, 7–6(7–5)
Simona Halep[a] defeatedElena Bogdan, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–2
Henri Kontinen /
Christopher Rungkat defeated
Jaan-Frederik Brunken /Matt Reid, 6–0, 6–3
Polona Hercog /Jessica Moore defeated
Lesley Kerkhove /Arantxa Rus, 5–7, 6–1, 10–7
Goran Ivanišević /Michael Stich defeatedRichard Krajicek /Emilio Sánchez, 6–1, 7–6(5)
Anders Järryd /John McEnroe defeated
Mansour Bahrami /Henri Leconte, 6–4, 7–6(2)
Shingo Kunieda defeatedRobin Ammerlaan, 6–0, 7–6(5)
Esther Vergeer defeatedKorie Homan, 6–2, 6–2
Shingo Kunieda /Maikel Scheffers defeatedRobin Ammerlaan /Ronald Vink, 6–2, 7–5
Jiske Griffioen /Esther Vergeer defeatedKorie Homan /Sharon Walraven, 6–4, 6–4
Below are the lists of thewildcard awardees entering in the main draws.
Men's singles wildcard entries[edit]
| Women's singles wildcard entries[edit]
|
Men's doubles wildcard entries[edit]
| Women's doubles wildcard entries[edit]
|
Mixed doubles wildcard entries[edit]
|
Men's qualifiers entries[edit]Main article:2008 French Open – Men's singles qualifying
The following players received entry into a lucky loser spot: | Women's qualifiers entries[edit]Main article:2008 French Open – Women's singles qualifying
The following players received entry into a lucky loser spot:
|
|
|
| Preceded by | Grand Slams | Succeeded by |
